Visited Two Production Sets as Part of Film & Video Production In SC Seminar

Sharee Washington, Ed Cannon(Moving Forward Pictures), and I participated in the SC Film Commission seminar, Introduction to Professional Film & Video Production in SC, held at Trident Technical College in Charleston, SC. The seminar was facilitated by Brad Jayne, a director/producer/writer of commercials and independent films. We began by introducing ourselves. Of the 12 people in attendance, seven were from Columbia, SC. The furthest came from Charlotte, NC, but is staying with his grandparents in Charleston. The ages varied from a 16 year old(Charleston International Film Festival screenwriter contest winner) to older adults wanting to transition from their day jobs to independent filmmaker.

The first set we visited was a student set on the campus of Trident Technical College. The three week program was two weeks of preparation and one week of shooting. Today was the second day of filming. There were lots of students doing various roles, such as, boom operator, script supervisor, grip, lighting, and assistant cameraman(AC). The film was written, directed, and produced by professionals in the industry.

We had a panel discussion with:
Karen Keyes: Extra to Production Assistant to Costume on Major Show, Army Wives, to Producer, Letters from Home
Brad Jayne: Entry-level with Production Company(Variety of Positions) to Producer to Director
Rebecca Pryce: From Broadcast Station Broadcast Producer(Advertising Agency ) to Filmmaker
Tom Clark: SC Film Commission
A few of the topics discussed: Types of Productions(Features, TV Series, TV Movie,etc); Schedules; Call Sheets; Freelancing; Entry Level Jobs in SC; How to Get a Job on a Movie, TV Show, etc; How to Get a Job on the Second Movie, TV, etc; Production Resumes; Challenges of the Beginner; Training Opportunities; the SC Film Commission(Grants for Short Films); The Need to Work Hard, Listen and Learn, Impress, Hustle, Hustle, Hustle.

The second set we visited was to be a professional set. The two set choices were: Feature Film Little Red Wagon and Lifetime TV's Army Wives. Due to inclement weather we visited the set of Army Wives. Sharee and I had been extras on Army Wives during their 3rd Season. I have been on one of the sound stages previously, but didn't know the other sound stages existed behind it. We visited the Holden's family house and watched four takes of a scene after 10 min. of a lighting issue. While we waited during the lighting issue, we were introduced to Barbara the Unit Production Manager(UPM), the director, the DP, and a few other crew members. One even recognized my sister and I, along with another participate, as being extras on the show. We visited at least 3 sound stages. As we left a couple dozen crew members were busy breaking down one set-up and preparing for the next set-up on another sound stage. Everybody had their individual task and worked together like an Army. That's Show Business.